


one day

by orphan_account



Category: Newsies - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Angst, M/M, Not Really Character Death, Sort Of, a lil fluff probably
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-29
Updated: 2019-02-04
Packaged: 2019-09-02 06:32:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16781506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Crutchie's got one day to say goodbye.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> lmao this sucks but thanks for reading

One more chance. That’s all Crutchie had.

Only one. One day. One day to give himself closure, to put everything right, to make sure that he left the earth with no unfinished business. Luckily, he didn’t have much to do. Just discreetly say goodbye to the twenty or so newsies he lived with without letting them catch on to what was actually happening, and keeping them from being sad because the first time this had happened he’d watched them cry for days. That was a guilt Crutchie just couldn’t carry on his shoulders anymore.

And he had to figure out how to leave Jack behind forever. That might be a little bit of a bigger problem. 

Just about a week ago Crutchie had watched from afar as Jack found him in an alley. Crutchie had slunk away sometime after dawn, the pain in his leg and the tightness in his lungs too incredible to bear, knowing and yet somehow not grasping that this was how it would end for him. He was only sixteen! He had a whole life to look forward to. He was going to go with Santa Fe and ride palominos with Jack, and watch the sunset with Jack, and maybe he’d even convince all the other newsies to come with them. The idea gave him something to hold on for. But no, this stupid winter and this stupid snow and this stupid polio had to got to him before he got to Santa Fe, and it not only ruined his life, but ended it.

Crutchie never counted on getting another chance. 

But even after he watched everything go dark, even after he watched Jack collapse over his body and cry for hours, even as he’d watched Race break the news to a full Lodging House that Crutchie was gone- _no, that don’t mean Crutchie is just out selling extra papes because he’s an overachiever and wanted to bring us back as much money as possible,_ Race had explained painfully- Crutchie was now very much alive. It felt different somehow, than how he’d felt just watching the other newsies as an inhuman entity of sorts. He felt more like a part of the world rather than a bystander.

Now he was laying flat on his back in the last place he could remember being alive, staring up at the dark starless sky. His hand was wrapped tightly around the handle of his crutch. The snow felt so cold against the skin of his wrists, but it was such a glorious thing to actually feel again that Crutchie didn’t really mind. He wanted to lay there forever, just drinking in this pure, unfiltered feeling that he’d missed to much, but then-

A bell sounded in the distance. 

And everything came rushing back.

_ Jack. _

_ The newsies. _

_ Me. Today. _

_ I’m supposed to be dead.  _

Brought back to his senses suddenly, Crutchie staggered weakly upward, leaning one hand against the wall for support and keeping his other tightly on his crutch. He wasn’t sure how his crutch has managed to show up at the same place he did, but he didn’t mind- he’d be totally helpless otherwise.

The circulation bell rang again and the scrawny boy began to hobble bravely forward. His right foot dragged uselessly, gently, through the snow, but the strength in his arms allowed him to keep moving forward. Slowly, above him, the sky began to turn into a rosy pink, and Crutchie met the dawn of a new day with a smile. 

Everything was okay. He was alive.

It didn’t take long for a few newsies to reach him and start rushing past him. A few of them were wearing coats, Crutchie noticed, probably gifted to them by either Medda or the nuns. Crutchie’s heart felt full to bursting when he heard the joyous sounds of his fellow newsboys shouting and laughing and chattering among themselves. It was like no time had passed at all.

“‘Ey, would ya get a load a’ this? Crutchie’s back!”

A strong pair of arms wrapped around Crutchie’s middle from behind and knocked all the air out of him. “Race!” Crutchie half-laughed, half-choked. Suddenly he felt like he could cry out of pure joy. The other newsie’s voice was distinct, and nobody else other than Jack would greet Crutchie with so much enthusiasm.

“Crutch, what are ya doin’ back here?” Race pulled away from Crutchie and looked him seriously in the eye. “You was gone all night. You had Jack worried sick. We all thought he was gonna go off to Santa Fe right then and there out a’ pure stress.”

“All night?” Crutchie was puzzled. Race had been the one to announce Crutchie’s death to the others! Shouldn’t he have been a bit more shocked that Crutchie had just… reappeared? “I feel like I was gone a little longer than a night.”

Now it was Race’s turn to look confused. “You, uh… you went out with Jack last night, remember? Aw, you shoulda seen the stars in your eyes when you came back. And when Jack woke up he said you wasn’t there. So he went lookin’ but he couldn’t find you. Maybe you lost your memory from lovesickness, huh?”

_ What? _

Last night?

_ You went out with Jack last night, remember? _

The last time Crutchie had gone out with Jack had been… it had been when Crutchie had complained to Jack that his leg was feeling absolutely awful, about a week and a half ago. So, Jack offered to take him out for a nice a meal as they could afford, just to make him feel a little better. He’d survived one more day after that date. When he’d woken on the rooftop two mornings later… that’s when he’d known it was over.

And Race seemed to have no further knowledge of what happened afterwards. Which, if Crutchie was thinking correctly, meant that as far as the newsies were concerned, Crutchie had never died.

And if Crutchie had gone out with Jack the night before, well… 

The realization hit him like a train.

“Race, I need to see Jack.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> back by popular demand aka 2 people (thanks holly) here's the next chapter of this monstrosity

“I’ll getcha right over there, Crutch,” Race replied brightly, not at all surprised by the urgency in Crutchie’s voice. He playfully hit Crutchie’s shoulder. “I ain’t surprised you’re in such a hurry. I’m sure he’ll be happy to see ya. Took me plus Albert, Elmer, and Specs to physically force him over to the circulation gate this morning.” The older boy laughed at the memory. “He wanted to go out looking for you soon as he could. But we knew you’d come back. And ya did, look at that. I proved ol’ Jackie wrong.”

“Yeah. Yeah, you did.” Crutchie remembered with a jolt of horror what had happened the last time Race has tried to force Jack to stay behind- Jack went out to search later and hadn’t found Crutchie until it was too late.

Race put his hands on his hips and looked around searchingly. “Now I guess he’s gotta be the one to be found, huh. He probably ran off to find ya the second he got his papes.”

Crutchie’s heart seized and a look of horror crossed his face. “I hope he’s okay.”

“He’ll be fine!” Race shrugged. “He’s the toughest newsie ‘round, Crutchie, you know that. Ain’t no winter weather gonna get him just like that.” He snapped his fingers to demonstrate.

“Okay, but we still gotta look, right? I really gotta see him.”

“Anything for my crutch boy.” After sending a cheesy wink in Crutchie’s direction, Race started off in a random direction without even waiting on his friend. “Okay, if I were an emotionally unstable cowboy, where would I go?”

Crutchie hobbled forward after Race. “Is he at the theatre?” Crutchie wondered out loud, hoping that if Jack was going to be wandering around in this weather he’d at least choose a warm place to stop by.

“Could be.” Race stopped walking for a second, allowing Crutchie to catch up with him. “Unless he’s off at the train station, buyin’ his tickets to get out west. No reason for him to stay here. He probably thinks you’s dead! And if you ain’t here, what’s he got to stick around for?”

Crutchie ignored the sting in Race’s voice. “But I ain’t dead.”

“Well, Jack doesn’t know that.”

“And he never will unless we find him,” Crutchie replied, straightening his posture the best he could. “Let’s get a move on.”

As the two resumed their journey, Crutchie couldn’t help but be just a tad alarmed by the large amounts of anxiety settling in his chest. Jack thought Crutchie was  _ dead,  _ according to Race. And maybe Race wasn’t the most reliable source of information around- he’d hawked many a false headline, after all- but after Crutchie, Race knew Jack better than any of the newsies did.

“You really think Jack’s worryin’ that much?” Crutchie asked shakily, breaking the silence between them.

Race shrugged. “Hard tellin’ what he’s thinkin’ most of the time. The second he gets upset by anything he just- he just zooms of and starts paintin’ some more trees and stuff and they rest of us don’t see him for hours. Well, ‘cept for you, he always takes you with him.”

“Yeah, he… he doesn’t go a lotta places without me,” Crutchie mumbled. He missed that. He missed Jack. It had been about two weeks since the two of them had even spoke, and those words they’d exchanged had been Crutchie’s final ones.

Race shook his head, a small smile forming on his face. “The two a’ you, I swear. If it wasn’t for Katherine I’d be convinced you and Jackie were like, datin’ or somethin’.”

Crutchie’s face reddened. “Sorry, what-”

“I’ve seen the way you look at him!” Race continued, ignoring Crutchie’s growing embarrassment. “And the way he looks at you, too. You guys would be good together, huh?”

“Race, that- that-” Crutchie stammered. “There ain’t nothin’ between us, okay? Besides, even if we wanted to, we can’t- two boys together, Race? That’s not allowed.”

Race snorted. “Ain’t no shame in bein’ queer, Crutch. Dunno if you’ve missed it but all the other newsies kept sayin’ for the past couple weeks I should get with Spot Conlon. Spot Conlon, of all the newsies in New York, they picked him! Who comes up with that?”

Crutchie had in fact heard the newsies’ suspicions about Race and Spot. In fact, he’d watched Race and Spot get together from whatever weird afterlife he’d been in about a week after he had died, but he wasn’t about to ruin Race’s happy ending for him. “Yeah. I heard.”

“I’m not complaining, though. Spot’s a good-looking guy.”

“Glad you like him,” Crutchie replied, stifling a tiny bit of laughter.

~~~~~~~

It took a while of wandering around until Crutchie and Race unanimously figured out that the only place they hadn’t looked yet was the only place Jack was actually likely to be. 

They stood stock-still at the base of the Lodging House, peering through the mid-morning fog that shrouded the rooftop from view, though neither of them could make out any distinct sights or noises. Taking his cigar out of his mouth, Race let out a loud whistle in an attempt to grab the attention of whoever might be up there. “‘Ey, Jackie boy!” he shouted. “I got somethin’ for ya! You might want to come’n see it!”

It was only a few moments before the sound of fluttering papers was heard and loud footsteps started their way down the ladder that led to the roof. Crutchie let out a long breath-  _ please let it be Jack, please let it be Jack- _ and he exhaled as soon as he saw a familiar figure begin to climb down. Butterflies instantly flew up into his stomach and he felt a smile spread across his face- he’d found Jack. Everything was going to be okay.

Crutchie watched as Jack dropped from the bottom rung of the ladder and landed on the ground with a thump. “Race, you should be out sellin’-” he sighed. Judging from Jack’s tone, he was clearly frustrated and tired, but as soon as he saw Crutchie standing next to Race his eyes went wide and any reprimand he’d had planned for his second-in-command had clearly been forgotten.

Crutchie couldn’t contain his excitement for even a second. “Jack!” he yelled, and limped over to the other boy quickly. He felt strong arms wrap around him immediately and he buried his face in Jack’s shoulder, screwing his eyes shut to prevent any tears from escaping.

“Crutchie,” Jack replied, his breath hitching. “Where’s you been? I’s been worryin’ sick!”

“I’ll leave you guys alone now,” Race interrupted. Crutchie could practically hear him smirking.

Jack disregarded Race’s teasing tone. Instead he released his embrace on Crutchie slightly so Crutchie could pull away and look Jack in the eyes. It was so nice to see such a familiar, welcome face after all those weeks just kind of… existing without being able to interact with anyone or anything. And now the warmth of Jack’s body was so close, Crutchie just wanted to melt into him and fall asleep- he hadn’t realized how exhausted he was until now.

“I missed you, Jack,” Crutchie mumbled.

Jack nodded in agreement, letting out a sigh. “It was only a day, but I was so worried. I looked everywhere for you, but you was… I couldn’t find you anywhere. I don’t know where you went, and I asked Medda, and Race, and Spot and all of ‘em, but they said they hasn’t seen you either. I was so worried. Where’d you go?”

Crutchie wasn’t exactly prepared for that question. “I’m not sure,” he admitted. At least it was half honest.

Jack didn’t press the matter. “Fair enough. But... I’m glad you’s home. Really.”

“Yeah. Me too.”

A beat of silence passed between the two before Crutchie made a rash decision- he reached out and took Jack’s hand in his own, and gave it a small squeeze. Was that too “queer?” He hoped not. He didn’t think so, either, when Jack just looked down at Crutchie with a soft smile, and Crutchie’s stomach erupted with butterflies again.

_ That was new. _

Honestly, Crutchie had a lot going on in his life at the moment, such as the fact that all this was happening in his life and not his death. He didn’t need any pesky feelings getting in the way.

But what could he really do about it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hmMMMMMM  
> so yeah i might make this a little more romance centered than i originally planned bc i love the gay


End file.
